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Wed, 20 Mar 2013 23:40:08 -0700IGN Entertainment, Inc.Oysteren-ushttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rsshttp://www.ign.com/blogs/havokrose/2013/03/20/new-project
Between being a student, working, writing for my blog and gaming, I've made time to sneak in a new project: a podcast. On Wednesday, March 20, my good friend Jimmy (randomhero1270) and I released our first podcast!

We use the podcast to discuss gaming news, culture and highlight our game of the week. Please check it out and let me know what you think! In addition, we'll be starting up a website where we'll include our podcast and do regular blog posts at randomhavok.com.

Months before a game is to be released, one special word is uttered at every GameStop and can be found on almost every video game advertisement: pre-order. While some gamers shrug off the suggestion, pre-ordering games isn't a bad idea for this month. March is no November, but as far as this year's video game releases go it may as well be.

It's good for your budget

Right now, I have two games with my name on them and could possibly have had more if I would have planned ahead. Pre-ordering gives consumers the option to put down as little as $5 on their game. Strategically paying off a portion of the game months before could help in the long run. Dropping $60 on a game isn't ideal for those of us who have to pay bills and buy groceries.

I typically put down $15 - $30 on each pre-order. Regrettably, this method does not work for online pre-orders.

via VGChartz

You'll get exclusive content

In addition to spreading out your hard earned cash, pre-orders usually come with some sort of downloadable incentive. When I picked up Halo 4 in November, I receive about 9 DLC codes for an Xbox theme, in-game gun, avatar items... the list goes on. It was pretty good as far as free DLC goes, but so far my favorite incentive has been for BioShock Infinite.

Regardless of where you pre-order BioShock Infinite, you receive a code for finkmanufacturing.com. This website is BioShock Infinite's prequel puzzle game, Industrial Revolution. Each level requires the player to aid the Founders or the Vox Populi, the game's revolutionaries. Both the story and final reward change based on which group the player supports. The game's story is told though newspaper clippings and product requests from the Founders and Vox Populi.

Well...

As great as pre-ordering is, nothing is perfect. On Feb. 17, Bungie announced it's new project Destiny. Cue excitement! However, Bungie also announced though Destiny will not be available until sometime in 2014, it is already available for pre-order on all current generation and next-gen consoles.

Wait, what? So you want me to pre-order a video game that I hardly know anything about or even know much about the consoles it will be released on? Right. I know pre-ordering isn't mandatory, but why open pre-order so early when the launch date is perspectively more than a year away? As much as I support pre-orders, what kind of message are Bungie and Activision sending through this move when all we've been given is a few screenshots and a lot of talk?

Even worse, GameStop is offering posters with each pre-order. I want one of those posters. I know by the time I make my decision on what console I want, those posters will be no more. Thank you Bungie/Activision for jumping the gun.

You'll get an experience that shelves can't offer

Midnight launch events are amazing. I've made so many friends, connected with GameStop employees and won some cool swag by answering trivia questions. There's nothing like being around people who, like you, are willing to sit outside of a shopping center for hours on end, rain or shine, to get a video game.

Ultimately, the best part of pre-orders is getting your money to the people who deserve it. As much as I enjoy saving money by purchasing used games, I feel like it's important that when a gamer really wants a game or admires a specific company, buy it new. It's like whenever my favorite band puts out a new album, I make sure I purchase the physical copy because I feel like it helps the band more and it means more to me. So if you do it for something, do it for those developers so they can make you great games in the future.

]]>Sun, 03 Mar 2013 23:29:24 -0800Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/havokrose/2013/03/03/why-you-should-pre-order-video-games#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/havokrose/2013/02/07/valentines-day-gift-ideas-for-your-geek
Anyone can go to Walmart and buy a generic box of chocolates and a depressing bouquet of flowers. To really impress your valentine, you need to earn the power of love.

Whether you are finding a new gift for your significant other or trying to impress your crush, captivate your valentine's pixelated heart with some of these gifts:

Custom Controllers

Sure, you could buy your honey a sweet custom controller from a website like Imagine Customs, or you can save yourself $40+ and customize a brand new controller yourself.

Sometimes less is more

All you'll need for this is a brand new controller, sharpies and stickers. Carefully open the box - you'll want to keep this to wrap the controller later. Then decorate to your heart's desire!

On my boyfriend's controller, I wrote phrases he says when he games and drew cool designs.*

If you are worried about mixing and matching colored sharpies, I recommend purchasing a black controller. Since only metallic colored sharpies will show up, you can keep your color scheme simple.

*If the gamer receiving this gift likes to play for hours on end or has sweaty hands, the sharpie will fade after a few months. This happened to my boy's controller.

Video game box valentine

Instead of going out to an overcrowded movie or playing Black Ops 2 until the point of frustration, take a second and try a new game knowing little to nothing going in.

Rule Japan with me?

If you weren't planning on giving a game - presumably because your valentine already owns all the titles worth having - think again. Co-op video games make for great gifts, especially when they are only $9.99.

Take the time to stroll through the used games section of GameStop, pick up a co-op game, use your smartphone to look up a few reviews and go out on a limb and buy something random. This is how my boyfriend and I kicked our Modern Warfare 3 rage.

Once you've chosen a game, do something cute with the cover. If you manage to pick up a game with the original case, do something simple like a word bubble from one of the characters on the box art or add a decorative heart boarder. Not only will this serve as a cute substitute for a valentine, but it also marks the game as something special between you and that person.

If you are feeling truly creative, take the box art cover out of the sleeve and decorate the white side with a poem, cute drawing, collage... the possibilities are endless.

Quick gifts

If you are short on time, here are some easy to order gifts for the geek of your life:

Geek jewelry

Easy, classic, jewelry. It's difficult to go wrong with one of these bad boys.

Geek figure with a lovey dovey quote

When writing out your Valentine's Day card, keep a theme by writing something relevant to your gift. For example, if you are giving Khal Drogo, write 'to the moon of my life.' Reversely if you are giving Daenerys, write 'to my sun and stars.'